Worth Every Risk
by TheIrishShipperholic
Summary: AU. Metro Court Crisis retelling. Lives are put at risk, but who will end up together in the aftermath? LuSam. Nax. SCoop. GLo. Maxis. Ethina. L&L. Sonny/OC. Jarly. Niz. Co-written with onlyyoujarly
1. Prologue

**Prologue: A Story Worth Telling**

**May 2012 – Davis-Scorpio House**

Mother's Day was now one of Alexis Davis-Scorpio's favorite celebrated holidays. She rested a hand on her expanding stomach and smiled to herself as she watched her three daughters interact while Sam and Kristina's husbands talked from where they stood behind the couch. "It hardly seems possible, doesn't it, counselor?" a husky voice softly chuckled in her ear. Alexis turned her head to find her adoring husband had joined her in admiring her three wonderful girls. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and snuggled into his arms.

"It feels like just yesterday that disaster loomed just around the corner, but I think it's a story worth telling, don't you?" she asked softly. He nodded in agreement.

**xoxoxo**

Over on the couch, Sam nudged her younger sister and nodded in the direction of their mom and step-dad. "What do you think they're talking about over there?" Kristina shifted until she could look over at Alexis and Mac. The college student only grinned at Sam.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Sam," Kristina replied to her sister's question as she patted the hand that rested on her lap. Sam gave her little sister a soft, sweet smile before she turned her attention to her adoring husband.

He leaned down an affectionately kissed the side of her forehead, his breath warming her skin as he spoke. "We should probably get going. I don't want to tire you or you know who out any more than I should," Lucky told her softly. Sam nodded and got up but not before grabbing her younger sister in a fierce, but still gentle, embrace.

"Are we still on for lunch tomorrow?" she asked and got a nod for an immediate response. Sam smiled and nodded to Lucky to collect their two kids, Lila and Liberty – or Libby for short, from upstairs. He gestured for Mac to join him as he grabbed Ethan in a firm hold across his shoulders, leaving the Davis/Cassadine women alone and smiling. "So, I do have something to tell you both," Sam began and clasped both her mother's and sister's hands before she went on to explain further. "It's a…boy!" Alexis and Kristina both folded Sam into a hug from either side of the brunette as she cried tears of joy at finally getting her baby boy.

"This calls for a mini-Cassadine celebration," Alexis said but Sam only shook her head.

"It will have to wait until after I've told Nadine, Maxie and Serena," Sam told her mom. Alexis nodded in complete understanding. She was glad that all three of her girls had such wonderful lives away from her but it didn't stop her from missing them still so very much.

_**February 27, 2007 – Metro Court Hotel**_

_Lucky Spencer looked up in time to see the woman who owned his heart – and always would – on the roof of the hotel and he grimaced before running toward the building to catch her. He ran back to the barricade in time to get a lecture from his father. "Save it, Dad," he said before Luke could get a word in edgewise. Luke threw his hands up in a surrendering gesture then shook his head as Lucky carried Sam over to get checked out. Then the explosion came out of nowhere…_

**Present Day – Metro Court Hotel**

Sam couldn't help but remember when Lucky risked his life to save hers. She looked up when someone cleared their throat above her, and smiled when she found all three of her nearest & dearest friends in front of her. "Were you thinking about when Lucky caught you in the last moments of the crisis?" Nadine asked while she watched her friend admiring her sons.

As four women gathered for their weekly breakfast, they all had memories of what happened five years and three months ago. For Sam & Nadine, unexpected pregnancies brought them into the arms of the men they loved so very much. As Nadine fed Jeremiah a bottle, she thought of her own final memories during the crisis:

_**February 27, 2007 – Metro Court Hotel**_

_Shortly after being put in a room with Number 5, Nadine managed to get him knocked unconscious so she could escape. Before she could get very far, she felt his beefy hand close around her ankle. She knew she would have to turn her body so she wouldn't fall on her small baby bump, which she did. With her other foot, Nadine kicked him in the face as a last resort. "BITCH! You broke my nose!"_

_Nadine only chuckled softly. "That's too bad, 5, because as a nurse, I don't feel very sorry for you," she replied. She stood up and gasped when she turned at the sound of the door being kicked in. It was Jax. He was not afraid to risk his life for hers. Without a word, she ran to him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck as she held on for dear life. "You came. I knew you would." Her voice was a soft, sweet whisper into his neck as his own arms banded around her._

_"Of course I came. I wouldn't come for anyone else," he whispered back. _It had been her good faith to trust that he wouldn't abandon her in her time of need. Now, as she looked at her friends gathered around the table, she knew she had gotten to be with her soul mate that day.

**xoxoxo**

**Present Day – Morgan House**

Carly Morgan gently set the rocking chair into motion. She looked down at her daughter Melinda Suzanne Morgan with a smile as the 3 month old quieted down a little bit after screaming her head off for a good half-hour. She looked up when Josslyn came toddling into the nursery and she brought her hand up to her lips. "We have to be quiet, Miss Joss. Your sister is just getting ready to fall asleep, okay?" Josslyn nodded and gave her mother the same grin she used to wear when she was up to something. Carly looked up again when Jason's soft footsteps came into the nursery as well.

"And what do you think you're doing, young lady?" he said, playfully scolding his stepdaughter. He looked over at his wife as he swings Josslyn into his arms, making her squeal softly and protest a bit. As they gazed at each other, they each had the memory of him coming back for her:

_**February 27, 2007 – Metro Court Hotel**_

_"Carly?" Jason called out. He had been walking around the now-damaged hotel for a few minutes but it felt more like hours. He finally found an open door and spotted the two blonde heads lying side by side. Jason sighed in instant relief, his shoulder pushing hard on the door to open it further. Carly's head came up and then so did Lulu's._

_"Jason! You came back for me. I love that you did," she said. He knelt down next to her, giving her a soft smile and picked up Lulu._

_"Can you walk?" he asked brusquely and she nodded. Leaning on him a bit, she got up on shaky legs then walked through the broken door behind him as he carried her cousin out. Then the second explosion came…_

**xoxoxo**

**Present Day – Barrett House**

"Lucinda Scarlet, what on earth are you doing?" Serena Baldwin Barrett demanded as she stood at the back door and watching her daughter making a complete disaster of the spacious backyard.

"Look, Mama, mud pies!" Lucia said, holding up the mud to her mother as she crossed the yard to where her daughter sat. Serena groaned then pushed the so called "mud pie" out of her daughter's open hand before picking her up. She knew she couldn't trust her half-brother to keep an eye on his niece for one minute; he and Georgie had been fighting then making up and it was driving Serena crazy. She walked into the house and immediately plopped Lucia down onto the counter. Serena was warming up the water to clean her daughter up as she thought of the moments she spent with Cooper in the vault:

_**February 27, 2007 – Metro Court Hotel**_

_He had stripped her of all inhibitions. That was all there was to it. And as she stared at him as he paced back and forth across the semi-loud squeak of the tiles of the vault they were now in, she couldn't help but wonder where they really went wrong. She hadn't a clue why he would even consider doing this to the once-innocent life he'd lived before leaving Port Charles and signing up for the military. "Cooper, please talk to me," she says softly and he turns to glare at her._

_She didn't flinch though. She stood her ground as she got up and crossed the room to him. "Don't, Rena. We stopped talking a long time ago and if you ruin the silence now, I don't think you'll be so lucky if I come knocking on your door and want to fuck you until you're screaming my name," he said softly._

_"I don't care, Cooper. This isn't you! This isn't the man I fell hard and fast for when I was 13 years old and vulnerable. You aren't that man. Please bring that man back to me, that's all I'm asking," she said. She moved even closer and pressed her lips to his in a soft, gentle manner and he roughly pressed her into the wall, pressing into her tiny frame. But they were forced apart when the explosion came out of nowhere…_

**A/N: And there y'all have it! I want to add more but I'll let my co-writer, Jamie, decide if she wants to write the first chapter on Lucky & Sam or not! Happy reading**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: I want to thank everyone for the wonderful reviews. To answer your question, Guest #1, yes, Maxie will be paired with someone, and that someone is Spinelli. Lulu will have Dillon but that won't last but two years, a little over. She'll eventually lock horns with Dante, just like on the show, but they (Lulu & Dillon) will still have their baby. All will be revealed in due time, just be patient!**

**Chapter One**

**_November 2006 – Chicago, Illinois_**

_"This complicates everything, you know," she told him as he began to caress her neck and collarbone with soft, nipping kisses. Just hours before, he'd come to her doorstep and hoped to learn her name, but the only answer she'd given him with "Alyssa Portman". Now, her voice was a soft, husky whisper but he both heard and felt the moan that fell from somewhere deep inside of her chest as his mouth moved until it was hovering a fraction above hers. She could feel his warm breath fanning over her face, and it felt…comforting in some odd way to have him there with her. Leaning back far enough, she could see the pain in his eyes and she moved back until the backs of her knees hit the mattress, shifting them both until he fell onto the mattress first so that he was on bottom and wouldn't have to be in pain. Her hands drifted slowly down his chiseled chest and smooth muscled abdomen to unfasten the button on his denim jeans. He sucked in a breath at the feel of her angelic, satiny smooth fingers releasing him from the painful restriction his pants provided. She then slowly lowered the zipper and he groaned softly, making her smile softly and wickedly, teasingly._

_That smile still reeled him in and once the jeans were gone, he watched her beneath partially hooded eyelashes as she began reaching behind her to release her firm, lush breasts to his gaze, mouth and hands. But he still sat up a bit to assist her, his mouth once again capturing hers as he lowered her over his tall, sturdy and lean frame. "I know it does, but I don't care. Do you?"_

**December 24, 2006 – Chicago, Illinois**

Each time she had that sudden flashback, it often surprised Nadine Crowell how his eyes had taken on the soft color of the sky during a severe thunderstorm, when it turned a nasty green, as they stared into her own cobalt blue eyes. She also couldn't forget his soft caresses as he held her long into the night but her thoughts were abruptly cut into when she heard the man's voice behind her and the sudden pressure of the gun as it pressed into her middle back. "If you do anything stupid, Nurse Crowell, I will gladly have of my men blow out one of your lovely co-workers' brains," the person said. She tried to sidestep him but he was quick in grabbing both of her arms in a too-tight grip and sharply pushing the gun into her chin, the metal digging into her skin. She was sure it had turned a deathly pale color but she wasn't going to allow the men to hurt Chloe, Sonia or Veronica.

Nadine swallowed the sudden fear she felt. "What do you want me to do, Mr. …" She let her question trail off, wanting to know his name before bending to his will.

"You can call me Mr. Craig. It's lovely to make your acquaintance, I believe you have an intimate connection with my dear brother, Jasper," he said with a sinister laugh. Nadine gasped, wondering how he could have known that when she couldn't even tell Chloe about her night with Jax. The man tightened his grip on her arms but she did feel his attention shift away from her, onto one of his goons, as he ordered in what sounded like a soft demanding voice, "Grab the brunette, we'll take them together. They seem to make a good team."

**Two Days Later – Port Charles, New York**

Her hands trembled as she glanced briefly at the test in her hand. This wasn't supposed to happen, at least not now. But Sam McCall was going to be the best mom to her unborn baby girl. She dropped the test onto the counter and left the bathroom at her mother's house, heading down the hall to get back into bed with Lila, her precious Lila. She got into the room without waking up 2 year old Lila but the toddler was brought out of her slumber at the sound of the cell phone ringing on the nightstand. "Mommy? Is that Uncle Jackal calling?" Lila said sleepily but Sam climbed into the bed and coaxed her daughter back to sleep.

"Go back to sleep, Lila. We'll talk about who it was tomorrow," Sam replied softly. She lies down next to Lila and the dark-haired girl curled up to her mother, Sam wrapping her arms around her daughter. Phone calls could wait; right now, she wanted to spend all the time in the world with her beautiful little girl. _His eyes were dark blue, much like that of the sky after a storm, as they stared down at her. She opened her arms, welcoming him to press himself flush against her with their nude bodies rubbing together in a desperate way. A quiet type of desperation that could only be shared between two people who had just had their worlds torn apart by the truth, the kind of truth of their 'soul mates' having a child together. A common lie that they had both been fed, destroyed them, and led them here, to this night, and into each other's arms._

The next morning, the sunshine greeted Sam…and so did someone rubbing her nose to rouse her from her sleep. "Mommy, it's time to get up and greet the day!" Lila's small voice squeaked out.

"You are just like your Aunt Molly. She is getting up too early," Sam groused as she allowed her daughter to pull her out of bed by the arms. Sam followed Lila downstairs and found her parents and two half-sisters already gathered at the table beside the door. "Whose idea was it to get up this early? Molly Victoria? Hmm?" Sam was determined to find out if it really was her youngest sibling and as she gave the brown-haired preteen a look, Molly sat stock-still.

Molly pretended to not notice her sister's pointed glare as she continued to dig into her still warm breakfast. Kristina, who sat to her left, reached over and pinched Molly's arm. "Molly! Don't ignore Sam when she's talking to you," Kristina scolded and Molly turned to glare at the middle Davis sister now.

Alexis reached across the table and snapped her fingers at her two younger daughters. "Enough, okay?" she demanded in her attorney tone. Kristina and Molly both nodded in silent response to their mother's demanding tone and looked over, asking silent permission to leave the table so they could get ready for school. "Hurry, though. Mac will take you to school on his way to work, okay?"

**xoxoxo**

Later, Sam was working behind the desk at the Metro Court when she heard someone clearing their throat in front of her. She looked up to find her favorite cousin, Nikolas, in front of her. He was clasping Elizabeth's hand and the nurse was grinning in a goofy manner. "Hi you two, what brings you by?" Sam asked with a smile. Liz wordlessly held up her left hand and grinned some more. "Oh my gosh, when did this happen?" She rounded the desk and hugged first the pregnant nurse then her dear, favorite cousin.

"Just a little while ago," Liz gushed. Even though things had been intense between the two brunettes in the beginning, Sam had come to consider her a friend that she could lean on. "Over breakfast. I was a little surprised too. Because he managed to sneak it into the bottom of my glass of milk and I nearly choked on it." She laughed a little nervously and Sam reached over and hugged her again gently.

**xoxoxo**

Across the room, a brunette slowly and gently removed her favorite vintage luxury item – a pair of sunglasses that were an exact match to the ones Tom Cruise wore in Top Gun – and got a good look around. She noticed people were looking at her suspiciously but she didn't have time for anything but finding her two favorite cousins, Patrick and Matt. When she didn't spot them right away, Ashley James reached out and grabbed the sleeve on a coat belonging to a man with jet black hair. "Excuse me, do you know where I can find Dr. Patrick Drake or Dr. Matt Hunter? I'm new in town and they invited me to stay with them," she explained the best they could.

For once in his life, Sonny Corinthos was intrigued by this woman. "And you would be?" he asked briefly, wanting to know this woman's name before he helped her out. While he waited for her to answer, he got a good look at the woman. She was wearing a horseshoe neck blouse and a pair of indigo wash jeans – like they'd been ordered right out of a catalog.

Ashley let a nervous chuckle fall from her gloss-covered lips. "I'm sorry. I'm Dr. Ashley James, and Patrick & Matt are my cousins. Patrick invited me to stay with him for a few days, and I didn't know where to find him. He said I could find him at the…Metro Court," she said as she looked down at the slip of paper in her hand. She turned when she heard someone clear their throat from behind her. "PATRICK! Where have you been? I waited for you at the airport for hours. Were you busy with your latest conquest? What's her name, Leyla?"

Dr. Patrick Drake only grinned and held out his arm for Ashley to take. "No. I wasn't busy with her. How do you even know about her, anyway?" he asked as they left the hotel room. She turned and glanced over her shoulder at the retreating form, slightly disappointed that he hadn't given her that dimpled smile she was feeling a pull towards.

**xoxoxo**

Sonny had felt her eyes on him as she left but didn't turn around, since it was obvious she needed to catch up with her cousin, who didn't really like that he was in Robin's life. He stepped up to the front counter and gave the trio standing in front of it all a smile. Then he turned his complete focus to the mother of his younger daughter. "So, I was thinking I could take her into the city this weekend and take her to the zoo," he started to say but Sam shook her head firmly.

"No. Sonny, we talked about this. I know you're trying to be a good dad, but you've got Michael and Morgan to consider. Don't ask me again, because my answer will still be no," she replied.

**xoxoxo**

Nikolas and Liz decided to leave the former lovers alone and he helped her over to a chair to sit down. "Are you going to be okay here while I check up on our suite for tonight?" he asked softly as he stroked her hair out of her face.

Elizabeth nodded, her hand coming up to grab his and squeeze it firmly but gently. "Thank you, Nikolas. I never got to say that to you before. You're helping me become a better woman and I don't know what I'd do without you. And for being here, despite all my lies," she said softly. Liz had been left a lot in the past week. Lucky left her because of her lies. Jason left her to save Carly from her newest plan. But Nikolas had stuck by her.

He sat down in front of her on his knees. "You don't need to thank me, Liz. I'm always going to be the one who supports you, no matter what, okay?" he said before leaning in to softly kiss her. She returned his kiss then held him as close as she could. "I could never imagine leaving you. You changed my world all those years ago."

**And there is another chapter for y'all. I'm proud to be writing this with Jamie, although I hate that her muse doesn't want to cooperate. But that's alright with me, because it means more writing for me! Anyhow, I will need name ideas for the Lucky/Sam baby boy. I already have Liberty's name picked out, so don't give me any for her. You can either leave the ideas in your reviews or PM them to me (I'm Love4CandyLuSamNax, of course).**

**Until then,**  
**Ciao**


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks again for the people leaving reviews and names for the baby boy that LuSam will get to have in the prologue. I forgot to mention that Cooper, Serena, Georgie and Logan grew up together. They forged a friendship as kids and Logan knows about his family – Scott's family. Also, Karen plays a big role in both of their lives, so she'll eventually make an appearance.**

**Chapter Two**

**December 28, 2006 – Somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains**

_This was never part of the plan_. That was the first thought going through Cooper Barrett's mind as he sat guarding the two women Jerry had made them grab. He thought about setting them free more than once but talked himself out of it every time. He didn't know Jerry Jacks all that well, but as a former military officer, Cooper couldn't understand why kidnapping two innocent & lovely women was even considered a strategy. His gaze now shifted to look over at the blonde, and he felt her soft cobalt blue eyes lock onto his before she tilted her head in a silent invitation. Cooper gave her a brief nod and began to look around to make sure that none of the other guys were watching before making his way over to where she had been bound and gagged. Cooper slowly and gently removed the gag but kept her hands tied. "You don't trust them, do you?" she asked softly after turning her head to spit.

It startled Cooper when she spit because most women he knew growing up had found it to be vile and disgusting. There were only two girls/women he knew that had ever done it in front of him and he had lost his mind when he'd said goodbye to the one girl who would ever hold his heart in the palm of her hand. He nodded. "Do you know what it feels like to love someone so completely that you would break their hearts or give your life for them?" he asked.

Nadine nodded. "I don't plan on letting your leader intimidate me into telling him what happened between me and his brother. I have a good feeling that our miracle will bring us together and keep us that way for a long, long time," she replied. Cooper watched her eyes shift down to her obviously still-flat stomach.

Just then, someone began shouting at Cooper from behind them. "Hey! Three, don't talk to the prisoner!" Mr. Craig's thick accent was evident as the leader moved over to them, grabbing Cooper by the shoulder, his anger showing in his eyes as he basically shoved him away from Nadine.

**xoxoxo**

**Port Charles, New York – Same Day**

Serena hated days like this. When the rain felt like tears. But today was definitely one of those yucky days, when everything didn't fall into place like it should have. She brought her knees up to her chest, her slender arms wrapping around them the best she could and resting her chin atop them. Her gaze went to the still unopened box of things Julia Barrett Quartermaine had sent to her earlier in the week. Slowly her knees came back down and she collected herself enough to get up from her spot in the window seat, walking over to gently pick up the box and place it on her lap. A memory suddenly popped into her mind, the one where Cooper had taken the courage to connect them on a more intimate level:

_**Manhattan, New York – 2001**_

_"We're not going to get caught are we, Cooper?" she asked him softly. She knew her parents would give her lectures about her sneaking out at such a late hour. It didn't matter anymore; she wasn't a child anymore…from her hazel eyes & dark blonde hair to her sort of small feet, toes painted in a deep, dark siren red color, was a woman. Serena Gail was gone…in her place was plain old Serena, a woman with feelings and hopes and dreams for a bright future that included getting out of Port Charles – and traveling the world with her trusty camera. She was knocked free of her thoughts when she felt Cooper staring at her intently. "What are you staring at, Cadet?" She, Karen and Tina had taken it upon themselves to begin teasing him and Logan about being military 'cadets', but the teasing turned into an unexpected flirtation between Cooper and Serena. They had been dancing around their feelings for a long time but on her 18th birthday, he'd taken her out. Scott & Ned had given them both lectures about returning at the time they came home but Cooper defended Serena, putting all the blame on himself._

_"I'm just admiring the view, Blondie." Cooper turned to glance at her, giving her that smile she loved so much. "I promise that we won't get caught, Rena. I know a few guys that used to work here and they gave me access," he said, holding up the keys in his possession._

_Serena only shook her head. "You're a very, very bad boy, Barrett," she said with a teasing smile aimed up at him._

_"But I'll always be your favorite bad boy, right? Next to your brother, I mean? I know stealing cars as reckless 18 year olds was wrong and sneaking into baseball fields after hours is dangerous, but I had to see you tonight, Serena," he said softly, stepping closer and reaching out to caress her cheek softly. She looked up at him, her eyes staying locked on his as he leaned down to kiss her lips in a gentle caress. _Serena jumped slightly at the loud knocking on the door to her penthouse – a present from her mother for taking the courage to move home to a place filled with violence – and set aside the picture she'd been looking at before getting up to answer the door. "Dante, if this is some lame attempt to try to get our parents back together, forget it. I'm not helping you with any more of your schemes," she said but stopped when she saw who was on the other side.

"I'm insulted, Rena. And here I thought you'd _want _to help an old friend out," Dr. Matt Hunter said with a grin. Serena squealed and ran into his arms, hugging him tightly.

She finally pulled back to frame his face in her small hands. He covered them with his own and grinned down at her. "I thought you'd be spending the day with your cousin. Ashley, wasn't that her name? Didn't you and Patrick promise to show her around town?" she asked softly.

He shook his head. "Patrick is taking the duty of showing her around Port Chuck. You, I'm going to take you out on the town in Manhattan. What do you say, Ms. Baldwin? Feel like hanging out with an ex?" he asked her.

After Cooper and Logan left to sign up for the military, Serena decided to try dating other guys to get her mind off of Cooper all but deserting her. Matt was the first guy she'd come across while searching and they tried things for a while only she couldn't get over the deep bond she shared with Cooper. "If that ex is you, then sure; I'd be up for that," she replied excitedly.

**xoxoxo**

Lulu turned this way and that to see if she really liked the dress for her upcoming wedding. She glanced over when her fiancé came into their bedroom at his family's mansion and quickly scrambled over to slam him out. "Dillon! You were supposed to stay out doing your errands longer; I told you that," she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to check up on you but obviously you were busy," he replied. He was smiling from his side of the door. He heard someone snicker from behind him and he turned to find his niece Brook Lynn. "Go away, Brook Lynn; I'm having a private moment with my fiancé."

"Oh, Dillon, you forget that if you're a Quartermaine, things never stay private. I'm sure that Granny and Dad will be up here before long," she said on her way down the stairs. Sure enough, Dillon's mom Tracy & his brother Ned had come up a few minutes later to join the film student at the outside of the bedroom he and Lulu were currently sharing.

Downstairs, Luke Spencer was on the phone with his son who was getting ready to head out of town on a case and was asking him and Laura to keep an eye on Sam for him. "Don't you worry about the feisty woman, Cowboy; I will make sure that Angel keeps an eye on her," he replied in the phone.

Lucky chuckled from his end. "Thanks, Dad. But I'm also counting on you to make sure that she and Lila don't get hurt and stuff," he replied in his authority policeman's voice. He heard his sister's voice come over the line and couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"Lucky! Don't you get into anything dangerous, okay?" she said quietly. Lucky wanted to agree with her but it was full of danger and he couldn't find the heart to tell her that.

"I'll try, Baby, okay?" he responded quietly. He was the only one who called her Baby besides Nikolas and though they both knew she hated the nickname, they couldn't help but still call her by it from time to time. "Will you help Mom and Dad with keeping an eye on Sam for me?"

"Uh-huh! I like Sam; she's my favorite person besides Liz," she replied excitedly. She heard her brother chuckling on the other end but she didn't care that he was making fun; Sam was good for Lucky just like Liz was good for Nikolas. She was happy for both of her brothers and hoped that they were lucky enough to stay with the women they loved.

**xoxoxo**

Karen was nervous. She was going to get to see the brother she hadn't seen since he was 18 today and he was bringing home a 'girl'. Logan had grown up a lot since he left Port Charles in the dust and she was proud of him. She fidgeted in the chair she was currently sitting in at the airport to wait for his arrival. She had sat within viewing area of the gate so she could run up to her brother and hug him with enthusiastic embarrassment. As she waited, she began to send text messages to her dad, two sisters and her former step-mom, Olivia and stepbrother Dante.

Her head shot up after she sent the last text message at the sound of someone arguing. "Well, you were supposed to take him last weekend!" a woman with dark blonde hair yelled at the man standing in front of her.

"No! I told you I couldn't take him because I had a date, Bonita," he growled back between gritted teeth.

Between them was a little boy with his father's dark hair and Karen couldn't help but feel for him. His parents were quite obviously divorced but his mother looked quite familiar. A light finally went off in her head when the woman turned her head to find Karen staring at them. "Teresa?" she whispered. Her mother Rhonda had been a Ciccone before marrying young and leaving her family in Chicago.

The woman came running forward after seeing Karen's lips move, forgetting her argument for the time being. "KAREN!" she said with soft enthusiasm, her arms flinging themselves around her cousin's neck. "Oh, Karen, I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, Teresa," Karen said as she hugged her favorite cousin. They finally pulled back, their eyes meeting before Karen shifted to look over at the two guys walking over. "And you must be Cruz. Teresa has told me a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you." She knelt down to the little boy's level. "And this must be the famous Leonardo Rodriguez. The last time I saw you, you were only 3 months old."

"He's almost 3, Karen. I can hardly believe it myself. How's your mom?" Teri asked.

Karen shrugged. "Mom and I don't talk much. I am living here in Port Charles and she's off somewhere with her latest conquest, which will probably become her latest husband before long," Karen replied.

"Cruz and I are considering moving to Port Charles, but we are having issues sometimes," Teri responded. "But we might get a house outside of Port Charles so we won't have to go so far for his job. He's a cop and he's going to be working under Mac Scorpio."

"Mac? I remember him. He's Robin's uncle, Robert's brother," Karen said with the same soft enthusiasm that her cousin had had moments earlier. She turned once again when she heard someone calling her name. She had forgotten all about Logan once she saw Teri but was happy to see her younger brother. "LOGAN!" She ignored the stares she got from people as she ran forward to clutch her brother to her in a hug.

He returned the hug fiercely after dropping the hand of the girl next to him. Then he pulled away from his sister to turn to the girl next to him. "Karen, I would like you to meet my girl. This is…" he trailed off when he heard Karen gasp in shock.

"Oh my god! Georgie Jones? You're all grown up!" she gushed, pulling the girl into a hug.

"You know her?" Logan asked, confused.

Karen nodded. "Of course. Her parents work for the WSB, but Mac Scorpio is raising her and her sister Maxie while they're off gallivanting around the world," she replied with a knowing smile.


End file.
